The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1887-08-11
FARMERS ALLIANCES ANTAGO.
NIZED.
4 Cor snondent Desires Unity of ctiOn
But opposes Secret Sessions, &c.

Cor ">nondent Desires Unity of Action
But opposes Secret Sessions, &c.
Special Cor. STATE CHRoNICLE.l
LAJRINBURG. n. c., Aug. ;, S7.-When
one nam refers to another in the public
prints in a sarcastic style, gentlemanly
proPriety demands that he should put at
| least his initials at the close of his article
and not hide his individuality behind the
general cognomen of Farmer" Ny best
wish is one for the success of the farming
| interest OF the country, and there is no
| class more deserving of success than the
farmers; but farmers organization is not
likely to succeed behind door or under
guard. Our neghbors in South Carolina
have agricultural and mechanical associa-
tlonS and they meet publicly as though
they have nothing to conceal, and they
have not. Why should honorable farmers
| have anything to conceal9
The success of every farmer must be
achieved upon his own farm. No farmers
organization will ever help any farmer
who don't help himself. The prosperous
farmers are not going to help the unpros-
/ porous. Those who have the money are
not going to supply those who have it not,
alliance or no alliance, and those who have
| the money can buy their supplies Just as
cheap as it is possible for them to be sold
| anywhere. Farmers clubs enable farmers
| experiments and each profits by the expe-
rience of others, and all work together for
! the common good. 1t has been my pleas
ure to attend several meetings of agricul-
| tural and mechanical associations in South
| Carolina, and a happier set | never saw
They had nothing concealed, nothing guard
| ed by sentinels, not even the fine fruits
and vegetables and the handiworh of en-
terprislng ladies, which might be seen
/ strcwn around IN prOfuSlOn; and the ladies
We're there themselves with their guards
and their offspring, and some of the off
| spring had guards too and were happy
How different from the pet alliances, con
slstlng OF a few out of many farmers, hUd
! died away in an enclosure with sentinel
and his assistant at the door to admit the
faithful The agricultural and mechanical
interests of North Carolina can only be
advanced by concert of action, and that
can be had only III an open, public, straight
forward way.
OF course there are few bourbon fel-
lows IN every section who feel competent
TO manaee the affairs of the small farmers
and sell their cotton to advantage for
themselves, and if these would d-be-a -aristo-
Gratis can hold them bound in a secret al
lance of course they can manage their
crops to advantage after they are made,
and this can be stood just as long as the
little boy, waiting for a mill to grind his
corn, said he could eat the meal as fast
as the mill could grind it, How long can
you do lt:' asked the miller. TIL pei
sh,' said the little boy. And the small
farmers can stand it till they perish. The
farmer who makes his own supplies at
home is independent and can afford to
buy and sell at pleasure.
The successful farmers are like the sue
cessful men IN every business of life. They
regard every lick struck as the money-len-
der regards the cents III the columns of
his interest account. The farmers time
is his working capital, and every space of
time he loses or allows his hired help to
lose is so much capital lost; and no CAPT
| tanSt can expect TO succeed without taking
/ the best possible care of his capital. The
present systems of business have brought
the agricultural interests to a state of af
| fairs that is really deplorabo. The only
possible help that the farmer can get is
from himself. He must realize his own
! Importance and the Importance of his val
uable time. He must realize that he is one
of the bricks that compose the pillars upon
which rests this whole governmental fab
ric and business system. The place for
the farmer is on his farm and every mo-
ment lost by absence is that much capital
| gone, and If the farmer has hands employ
ed they use his absence to his injury by
idling away his time for which he pays
| them and gives them board.
Too many farmers depend upon the fatal
error of buying their supplies away from
| home and on time, instead of making their
| farms self sustaining. The man who does
this prices nothing he has to buy on time,
pays The other fellows price and when he
comes to sell his supplies he must take
| the other fellows price, aud by this means
hn hny on iS of 6a
of the salesman in each case and he is also
bound for the freight and expenses both
ways, if the dealer succeeds in making
| collections; if not it is a clear loss to the
| dealer and the books of many dealers show
! clear losses in very many cases. Hence,
| he who sells on time has to look out for
| himself in the matter of prices, as he who
buys on time is subject to all the accidents
of weather, misfortunes, &c, and if the
fates subject him to losses of course the
loss falls upon his creditor, and the retail
dealer is the man crippled in the end.
Who can stand it?
| have paid but little attention to the
thrusts of a Farmer" in last weeks
| CHRONICLE, for he seemed to have so little
confidence in his assertions that he failed
to back them up with his initials even. l
don't propose to shoot from the dark, and
the man who does it is not worthy Of re-
spect. Let Farmer" come out next week
under his own initials and upon his own
responsibility, and if he has anything to
tell in behalf Of his pet alliance let him
tell it like gentleman ought and then he
will have some nuts to crack. 1t is useless
to hold my initials up to the people of
North Carolina. What they want to hear
is something of the merits of the secret
| alliance. Let's have 'em.
l will answer Mr.. D. P. Meacham next
! week ID. I. II.
| The Best and Cheanest College.